How To Become an Instructor

SWAM instructors come from diverse backgrounds but all are dedicated student volunteers. Although our typical instructor recruitment periods are August-September and December-January, we are always looking for new instructors! Because SWAM is a non-certificate program, possession of valid certifications (such as NLS or WSI) is not a formal requirement to becoming an instructor (although it is a strong asset). A fully certified lifeguard is always on duty during lessons.

Similar to last year, you will need a CURRENT (within the last 6 months) Police Records Check (Vulnerable Sector). Please find attached the letter you will need to have the fees for your records check waived. You will need your Police Records Check (Vulnerable Sector) prior to registering to volunteer with us, so please get one as soon as you can! If you are located in Ottawa, you can even get yours online and sent back to you very quickly!

Our Training Day will be the afternoon of Saturday September 15th. The time will be 2:00-5:00pm while the location is TBD (somewhere at UOttawa). We look forward to seeing you at our Training Day!

Lessons will be occurring at Lowertown Pool (40 Cobourg St, Ottawa, ON K1N 5N8), with the first time slot being 4:00-4:45pm, and the second running from 4:50-5:35pm.

If you require a letter to have the fees for your records check waived, please send us an email at: ottawa@swamcanada.ca We will reply within 24 hours with the letter attached.

Instructor Testimonials

“I love the casual and comfortable environment that [SWAM] provides. We are a team who not only supports one another, but also the children and the families we meet. It is a time full of fun and learning for both the swimmers and the instructors.”

“I’m a fairly new instructor with [SWAM] and I love it. It’s a great way to help out the community and get to know some amazing kids. The people I work with are all so nice and helpful and between them and the enthusiastic kids every minute of it is a blast. There’s no feeling that compares to when one of the sweet kids gets excited because they learned a new skill or are doing something they love.”